SYDNEY — Japan midfielder Gaku Shibasaki joined up with his teammates in Australia Tuesday after recovering from a bout of flu to complete the holder's 23-man Asian Cup squad. The 22-year-old Kashima Antlers midfielder had been left behind in Japan to avoid passing on the bug to his teammates, who continued preparing for their Group D opener against Palestine Monday. “I've been ill but that is the way it goes sometimes,” the midfielder was quoted as saying by Kyodo News. “Hopefully I will be able to acclimatize and get in the right condition and ready to play. “These are going to be my first competitive matches and so it will be special. Hopefully the team can perform well and get good results.” Shibasaki scored on his debut in September's 2-2 draw with Venezuela and has appeared in three other friendly matches for Javier Aguirre's side. While the rest of the squad was given Tuesday off, Sagan Tosu striker Yohei Toyoda was scheduled for a short work out after also recovering from illness which he picked up en route to Australia. Least-prepared Iran seeks fourth title Iran is hoping a disrupted build-up will not dent its chances of ending an almost 40-year Asian Cup drought, as Carlos Queiroz's men look to bounce back from World Cup disappointment. The Portuguese coach says his side was the least prepared of all 16 teams, despite being the highest-ranked country at the tournament, after “Team Melli” struggled to find friendlies to play. Iran travelled to South Africa for a near-two-week training camp where it was due to take on the host, Tanzania and Guatemala but ended up playing two games against local domestic opposition. Things got worse when it left the training camp to head back to Iran for a scheduled friendly against Palestine, which was cancelled by the Palestinians at short notice. “Our preparation was really not compatible with the team's needs as we rank first in Asia but rank last in preparation,” said Queiroz, according to Iran's official news agency IRNA. “It could have and should have been better,” the 61-year-old added. “We have suffered a big blow due to matches and training camps that were not coordinated.” The former Real Madrid boss said Palestine's decision to scrap its Dec. 28 match in Tehran had “caused great damage” to Iran's preparations. Iran kicks off its bid for a record-equaling fourth title on Jan. 11 against Bahrain in Melbourne. The Iranians are currently Asia's top-ranked side at 51 in FIFA's standings but last won the Asian Cup in 1976. — Agencies
